Take a good, hard look at the interior of your car. What can you see? Empty CD cases? Water bottles? An empty takeaway coffee cup? A bag of old clothes you’ve been meaning to drop off at a charity shop for weeks now? While it’s advisable to keep the minimum amount of items in your boot to lessen the load on your car, there are some things you simply shouldn’t leave the house without:
- A spare tyre, jack and tyre iron Make sure you know where your spare tyre can be found and make sure that it’s properly inflated and that your tools are in good condition. Also learn how to change your tyre. No use trying to change a tyre when your spare tyre is also flat/you don’t know how to operate your jack!
- A tyre inflater and sealer You can repair your own tyre if you are unable to fit the spare tyre and you are too far from a garage or tyre outlet.
- A set of jumper cables A dead battery happens to the best of us. Be sure to have a set of jumper cables and that you know how to use them.
- Your car’s manual and service plan This vital book needs to be in your cubbyhole all the time. After buying a new car, read through your manual. This will save you the frustration of trying to locate vital parts.
- A roll of duct tape This little roll of magic tape can be used for emergencies or repairs.
- Reflective triangles In the event of a breakdown, your car should be as visible as possible to other motorists. If you don’t already have reflective triangles in your car, buy two – one to place at the back of your car and one at the front in the event of a breakdown.
- A basic first-aid kit Make sure you have the basics at hand, especially for longer road trips.
- A strong torch You never know when you might be stranded in the dark – and when your phone’s torch won’t be enough.
- An updated map book Yes, a paper one. If your GPS or phone’s battery is dead, you won’t get reception in certain areas.
- A blanket or warm jacket Whether you want to grab something warm next time you’re at a sports event or concert, or whether it’s the worst-case scenario where you need to comfort a passenger in the case of an accident, an extra warm layer always comes in handy and doesn’t add a lot of weight to your car.
- Spare change or cash This can come in handy, especially for car guards or tips for petrol attendants. Stash it in an invisible compartment of your car to prevent break-ins.
- An umbrella Don’t be caught unprepared on rainy days.
- Spare shopping bags Be honest: how many shopping bags do you keep with the intention of taking them to the shops, but then you forget and you find yourself having to buy more? Just keep them in the car.
- A list of emergency numbers (your insurance, the AA, your local mechanic and so on). We know, you saved them on your trusty phone. And there’s always Google. But what if your phone’s battery runs down or you are caught in an area with poor reception? Just to be safe, keep your emergency numbers somewhere where you can find them without the use of a phone.
- A USB port and cable And if you really insist on not being without your phone (or just shudder at the thought of trying to figure out a paper map!), make sure you have a charging device stashed in your car.
